The Hapes Consortium was the ruling government and consortium of the Hapes Cluster. A hereditary monarchy based on the capital world of Hapes, it ruled over the region in isolation since before 3,000 BBY, protected by the Transitory Mists. It spanned 63 closely positioned star systems, each with an inhabited world.

Contents

Overview

The Hapans were ruled by the Queen Mother, who held court at either the Fountain Palace when on Hapes, or aboard the royal transport ship Star Home when traveling abroad. The title of Queen Mother was hereditary, passed down from mother to daughter. If the Queen Mother failed to have daughters, the wife of the firstborn son became Queen Mother. However, to be in the line of succession meant both the Queen Mother and her heirs had to avoid constant attempts on their lives by jealous relatives who vied for the throne themselves. The great importance of the Queen Mother meant that any threats made against her was a ground for immediate execution.

In addition to the Queen Mother, there were also representatives from each Consortium member planet at the Royal Court. Their main purpose was to vote on matters of importance and to give updates on any political and social conditions of their home planets that may require the Queen Mother's attention. The Queen Mother had the final say on everything, and her word was considered law.

History

After the defeat of the Lorell Raiders at the hands of the Jedi, the remaining population of Hapes, most of whom were female, decided to create a new government system which gave power to one woman. Given the title of Queen Mother, the chosen woman united the planets of the Hapes Cluster and formed the basis of the Hapes Consortium. Later on, she would commission the building of Star Home, a mobile replica of the Fountain Palace on Hapes that she would use when traveling abroad.

Around the same time Star Home was completed, the first Queen Mother sealed the borders of the Hapes Consortium from any outsiders and quickly captured more planets within the Cluster for the Hapans to colonize. After being isolated from the rest of the galaxy for almost 3000 years, the Hapes Consortium only opened its borders to the rest of the galaxy in 8 ABY after an alliance was made between Queen Mother Ta'a Chume and representatives of the New Republic.

Culture

Hapan culture, at least among the upper classes, was based on assassination attempts and struggles for power. Most upper class Hapans would think nothing of arranging the death of one of their own if it would advance their own cause.

The Queen Mother was treated like a goddess by the Hapans, and her selection of a consort was important to all her people. Candidates for the role of consort often came from the nobility, mainly to keep the gene pool vibrant. There were fierce rivalries between many noble houses over which house would get their sons to father the next Queen Mother, and nobles often plotted against both the consort and the heir of the Queen Mother who was not fathered by one of their own. It was because of this that Allana's paternity was kept secret, so all the noble houses would believe that one of their own possibly fathered her and would not harm her.

Due to the matriarchal society of the Hapes Consortium, men were often treated as second class citizens. Although most Hapan males were used mainly for breeding, some held positions of power, although their ability to use it was often limited. Some Hapan men who felt trapped by their position in society often ran away and became pirates. These men hid out in the Transitory Mists and preyed on unsuspecting vessels, at least until caught by passing Hapes Nova-class battle cruisers. When captured, they would be put on trial and possibly executed depending on how severe the charge was.

Anti-Jediism was rife among the Hapans, mainly due to the fact that the Lorell Raiders had fallen to the Jedi. This sentiment came to head during the reign of Ni'Korish. Ni'Korish had an immense hatred of Jedi and had done her best to wipe out any that had made their way into the Consortium. Because of this, an anti-Jedi faction that had formed among the Hapans during the Yuuzhan Vong War was named after her.

Military

"True to our pirate roots, the Hapans prefer swift, ruthless strikes. Hurt an enemy at the start of an engagement and he is yours, for as the fight progresses, his fear of you will intensify and will become your ally."

One of the higher authorities amongst the Hapes Consortium was held by the Hapan Royal Guard. These individuals wore crimson clothing which identified their status. The uniforms were of one piece which were similar to a flight suide and were quite fitted in addition to being deep red in color.[2] In addition to them, an elite commando force was present in the form of of Her Majesty's Select Commandos that were tasked with important missions.